A New Voyage
by Reader Castellan
Summary: They were friends five years ago. Inseparable, unbreakable friendship that is as strong a love as shared by siblings. They come together, reunited. And then, everything goes in for a toss. Fights, arguments, jealousy. Why is it that these friends who could not live without thinking of each other everyday could not even stand the sight of one another? *Sequel to A New Story*.
1. Chapter 1

**A New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Power of Five Series or any of its characters. However, I do own their children.**

**This story is basically a sequel to 'A New Story'. I wanted to explore the characters more and thought that maybe a sequel would be a nice idea. I hope you like it. A special thanks to Zintfall for encouraging me to write this.**

* * *

_Five years ago…_

_Helen Tyler and her cousin Ellen logged into their site 'The New Power of Five'. The two girls had been in touch with their brother like friends ever since they came back home. Richard was online at this time._

_They talked of school, of health and the other boys, Aidan and Ricardo. Aidan was Richard Freeman's younger brother whereas Ricardo was their close friend, the son of their beloved uncle Pedro._

_Helen was saying something that had happened in her class that day but suddenly, a mysterious green light flashed into the room. Green smoke curled around in the enclosed space. Richard cried out as he saw this but then Helen's computer blasted and he could see no more, but before the blast he did hear something. A scream. A blood chilling scream._

_And when the light faded away and the smoke cleared, Helen slowly opened her eyes. At first everything seemed alright. But when she looked closely she realised something was missing._

_Rather _someone_ was missing._

_"__ELLEN!" Helen cried out. Her eyes looked around wildly for her look-alike cousin but she did not find her._

_"__ELLEN!" she cried again and ran out of the room to look for her. That was when she saw the condition of the house._

_Smoke arose from the corner and a little green fire was ablaze on the table. She ran around in the house, calling for her father, her mother, Uncle Jamie and Auntie Esther. She yelled for her cousin. But then the daunting realisation came to her. She was alone in the house._

_Afraid, she ran out of the house into the garden. Everything seemed normal. Except one. She could not see a single person anywhere. The houses' doors were open, the curtains drawn aside to give a view of the interior.. The wind was blowing but there were no birds. Was she going insane?_

_"__WHERE ARE YOU ALL!?" she cried out. Helen could feel the bleakness of her eyes. She did not like it. She never cried._

_There was no reply._

_"__Someone! Tell me! WHERE IS EVERYONE?!"_

_And what she heard next nearly petrified her._

_"__They are at home…"_

_The voice was not a human's. It was difficult to say whose voice it was. It sounded ageless and devoid of any emotion. However, she could sense a malice behind it. _

_"__Who are you?" she asked quietly._

_"__I am the one whose pawn your father was. I am the one incapable of defeat. The Gatekeepers thought that they had defeated me. But here I am! And you, you will be my pawn, just like your father was."_

_Helen knew whom she was talking to. But it was impossible. He was in another dimension. He could not be here._

_"__Foolish girl," the voice said, "Your very existence is the reason of my freedom. I have returned and you are the one who did it."_

_"__I didn't do anything," Helen replied boldly. She wished she felt half as bold as she sounded._

_The voice laughed. It was-demonic._

_"__The Gate. It will open soon. Till then, adios…"_

_Helen felt as if a volcano had erupted right under her feet. She screamed. She could feel her skin melting away. The heat was unbearable. Her throat felt choked as she gasped for air. But there was no air. She tried to breathe. Tried to breathe. She kept trying until…until…_

Until she woke up.

"Helen, are you okay?!" Ellen asked, shaking her shoulders.

Helen looked around, panting as if she had run a marathon. She was in her room. The computer was still in place. There was no green light or smoke. No inhuman sounds could be heard. And above all, her cousin, Ellen was right there.

Helen took a deep breath and flashed a smile at her cousin. Ellen looked doubtful but then smiled slightly.

"A weird nightmare," Helen said, "Nothing else."

Ellen looked at her closely. Helen's voice had been shaky and she could tell that Ellen could sense her fear.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said, "My face doesn't look good with that expression."

Ellen sighed. Despite being cousins, they looked more like identical twins. Ellen was one minute fifty seconds older than Helen. They had the same dark eyes, dark skin and black hair that once came till their shoulders but now Ellen's hair came down to her waist while Helen's came just till her ears.

Their resemblance was because of their parents. Their fathers were twins and their mothers were also twins. And everyone in their maternal family was somehow a twin of somebody in the family.

Ellen thought about what expression would really suit Helens' face. In the end, she stuck her tongue out so much that it reached her chin, widened her eyes and squeezed her cheeks downwards.

"Jis? Jis suiz chu?" she asked.

Helen studied her now. Her cousin practically looked like a bulldog.

"No, this suits _you_," she scoffed. Ellen barked and howled like a puppy and Helen laughed. Ellen drew back her tongue and released her cheeks. Her laughter joined that of her cousin's.

"Years have gone by, and you are still like the way you were," Helen said seriously. "Well, yes. I still am the only person who can answer Ricardo's poems. Oh, you have not forgotten, right?" Ellen said.

"What?"

"Ricardo. He, Aidan and Richard are coming here after two days."

Helen chuckled nervously. She really had forgotten.

But she was really excited to meet her brothers. It had been years. Five long years since they actually came together. If Richard and Aidan were there then Ricardo wasn't and if they met Ricardo, the brothers would be absent. And when the boys met, then the girls would have exams.

But now, now they were going to be together, reunited. And that too for a whole month. What could be better for Helen after such a horrible dream?

Her smile was wiped off her face when she thought of her dream. It certainly meant something. She was sure of it. Maybe the next morning, she would ask her father and Uncle Jamie.

"I think you need to do something to relax," Ellen said. Her face was thoughtful as she considered the options for Helen. But Helen already had an idea.

She grabbed her mobile from under her pillow and looked at the time. She whistled. It was a quarter past five in the morning.

"What are you-?"

But before Ellen could complete the sentence, Helen had dialled a number. She waited for the person to answer the phone. Eventually, he did.

"Hello?" a sleepy male voice reached her ears.

"Hello sir. I am speaking from Gold Line Credit Card Company."

"I have a credit card. So-"

"Of course you have a credit card! Who doesn't have a credit card?! No, I was saying that are you interested in buying a giraffe?"

"What!?" the man cried. Sleep had evaporated from his voice. Ellen gaped at her cousin with her mouth wide open.

"Yes sir. Our company can offer you different kinds of giraffes. We have blue spotted ones, red spotted ones and we also have two-tailed giraffes. Are you interested?"

"ARE YOU MAD?!" the man cried.

Helen was shuddering because of controlling her laughter. Ellen giggled silently.

"No sir. I am not mad. I told you. I work for Gold Line Credit Card Company."

"I'll complain about you! And I don't have time to talk to you!"

"Sir, please don't end the call. We have already shipped thirteen giraffes to your locality. If you don't tell us the exact number of giraffes that you want, our company's gift to you will be delivered by Friday."

"I DON'T WANT A GIRAFFE!"

"Sir, they are blue spotted! In winters they give blue berries, after having a healthy feed."

"I don't-"

"We also offer different coloured giraffes, sir. We even have black spotted ones."

"I DON'T WANT A GIRAFFE! YOU'D BETTER TELL YOUR COMPANY NOT TO DELIVER ANYTHING HERE!"

"Okay, sir. As you wish. So, are you interested in buying a pink zebra? We also have a wide range of snakes with us. Also-"

The man on the opposite end yelled at her and then slammed down the telephone. Helen shoved her mobile under her pillow and then the two girls stared at each other. Together, they burst into laughter.

"By-by the way-" Ellen said and then laughed again. Helen was just grinning now.

"By the way, who was that gentleman?"

"How would I know?" Helen asked.

"You don't know whom you called?"

Helen shrugged. "Should I? Just dialled a random number."

Ellen giggled again. Helen swung her legs off her bed and stood up.

"I can't sleep. Too much excitement," she said.

"Let's go and deliver a giraffe somewhere," Ellen suggested. Helen looked at her and laughed but Ellen seemed surprised at this reaction.

"You do have blue spotted giraffes, right?"

"What?"

"You were joking about it with the man for you were sure that he would not believe you. But, you _do_ have blue giraffes and pink zebras, right?"

Helen looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah, sure."

She remembered that Ellen was a little slow. She went into a fit of coughing when she realised that Ellen actually thought that she had blue giraffes and pink zebras.

"What?"

"Nothing. Come, I'll show you the giraffe."

Ellen beamed at her cousin and the two girls walked out of their room.

* * *

**I know it might be a little confusing. Some of you might think it is exaggerated. But I tell you, one of my friends have already tried this. I do not recommend it because the outcome of selling blue spotted giraffes is usually hoards of abuse. 'Jis? Jis suiz chu?' meant 'This? This suits you?' Again, this is also a tried experiment. This one is pretty safe though.**

**I hope you liked this chapter ad thank you for reading. Please read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power of Five**

**Thank you The Light of Fire for your review on the previous chapter.**

* * *

Ricardo had grown up a lot in the past five years.

However, the eighteen year old still had the soft innocent eyes of a child and a playfulness that he always had. He had grown sensible, knew what to do when and how. Yet, he still preserved his poetic skills.

He looked at number seventeen's front gate as he came to a halt. The house was beautiful and had a pretty big garden with so many trees and flowers that Ricardo mistook it for a forest.

The boy's eyes lingered on the name plate to confirm that he was at the right place.

_Scott and Myra Tyler_

_Esther and Jamie Tyler_

He smiled. He was at the right place. He dragged his trolley bag up the stone paved path that led to the front oak door. He stopped there and grinned. He had not told them that he would be here _now._ No, he would surprise them.

* * *

Helen was ready. And excited. Excited to meet her brothers. Last night's nightmare had shaken her a bit but Ellen's attempts to make her happy had worked. As usual.

She looked at her wrist watch. Half past six. She went to the kitchen and found Ellen making sandwiches.

"Why are you cooking? And that too so early?" Helen asked in surprise.

"For our friends of course! When they arrive they will be tired."

"They'll be coming after two days. Why are you preparing from now?"

Ellen turned to face her cousin.

"Don't pressurise your mind so much and go take a walk in the garden. Go on, go on!"

Helen gave her a look that suggested that she really found all this very weird. She did not say so though and went to open the front door.

As soon as she opened it she cried out.

A HUGE grin, literally HUGE grin adorned the face of the boy, his eyes were wide and his nostrils flared from the pressure of stretching his face so much.

Ellen ran into the hall and saw what had happened.

"RICARDO!" she cried and ran over to him, past Helen, and hugged him. He returned it, his face getting back to normal. Helen grabbed her head. First a nightmare, then a nightmarishly happy face! What was happening?

"Hey Ricky!" she said after recovering.

"Glad to see you I am, Ellen. Like a melon is your hairstyle, Helen," said Ricardo.

"Melon?" Helen asked.

Ricardo nodded and Ellen turned with a childishly curious face to Helen. She walked to her cousin and grabbed her hair, inspecting it. Helen sighed.

"It's not like a melon," Ellen confirmed sincerely.

Ricardo stifled a chuckle and ruffled Helen's hair.

"Why is everyone after my hair today?" the girl thought.

"How come you are here now?" she asked.

Ricardo grinned again. Helen stepped back. Ellen giggled.

"I thought to give you a surprise. And I received for that a prize. Your sweet little cry. That made me want to fly. Up above so high. Like a diamond in the sky. It was nice to see your face. For once lose your grace. Now, now give me a smile. Do you know, Uncle Matt in his house has changed many a tile?"

Helen hit him on the head and then smiled as he cried out.

"Now fly. Up above sooo high. In the sky."

Ricardo sighed and turned to Ellen.

"Am I allowed to enter? Dad, by mistake, broke the table centre."

"Where is dad?" Ellen asked.

"He is your dad too? On the way here I saw a lot of goo."

Ellen wrinkled her nose and Helen replied, "Look, Ricardo. We are a family. It's not my dad or your dad. All our uncles are like our dads, so all the men of the Five _are_ our dads. So, Uncle Pedro is our dad, papa is your dad, Uncle Jamie is both our dads and Uncle Matt as well. All you need to understand is that everyone's dad is everyone else's dad."

"I have four dads!" Ricardo exclaimed, "Now I will go all mads!"

"Exactly."

"So where is dad?" Ellen asked.

"Dad must be sleeping. For last few days with lack of sleep he had been weeping."

"Literally?" Helen asked.

Ricardo clicked his tongue and shrugged.

Helen's shoulders sagged and she got aside to let Ricardo in.

"See? I was right to prepare sandwiches now," Ellen whispered in Helen's ears. Her cousin stared daggers at her. Ellen gulped and backed away from her.

"So your parents don't know that you are here?" she asked.

"No they don't. I have left a note so worry they won't."

Ricardo swung his arms as he took stock of the surroundings.

Helen rested a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her with a grin and said in her ear.

_"__Nicceeee!"_

Helen put her fingers to her ears and closed her eyes shut at that.

"Oh man! Ricardo has become even creepier!" she thought. But despite that she was very happy to see her friend. It had been like, three years since she met him at his house, for three days.

Ellen grabbed his arm and ushered him to dining table and brought in the plate of sandwiches. Helen dragged Ricardo's bag inside and closed the door.

"Do you know Ricardo, Helen sells blue spotted giraffes!" Ellen told him excitedly.

"Rilly? Or are you trying to make me silly?"

"Rilly! Nobody is trying to make you silly!" Ellen retorted.

"I also work for Gold Line Credit Card Company."

Helen sat down next to him and said in a serious tone, "Ricardo, I have to tell you something."

Ricardo looked at her keenly and listened attentively s she described her dream from last night. He was not smiling when she had finished.

"Did you tell papa? Yesterday Aunty Scarlett made stew of nappa."

"How do you know that?" Ellen asked, bewildered.

"From the New Power of Five. Last month dad was stung by bees when he hit their hive."

"Why did he do that?"

"The bees were chasing mom. Uncle Matt was chased by a Tom!"

"Tom?" Helen asked.

"He means cat. Why were the bees chasing your mom?"

"Because she attacked their hive. For perfection, we should always thrive."

"Why did she attack the hive?"

"Because the bees were chasing her. I am a fan of Supernatural's Lucifer."

"It's an old show," Ellen said.

"Watch it I still do. Cuckoo says coooo!"

He again turned to Helen.

"Did you tell papa? Aunty Scarlett made-"

"Stew of nappa!" the girls chorused.

Ricardo nodded wisely.

"Well, I didn't get a chance to," Helen replied.

"Look, Helen. Our parents are the Five. They live in the dream world too. We might have inherited this ability to go there too. This dream of yours might be an omen or some sign, it might want to convey something."

Helen nodded and said, "You are right."

Then, as realisation dawned on her, she faced him with wide eyes.

"You are _talking_?!" she exclaimed.

"Talk sometimes do I, everyday Uncle Matt tells Aunty Scarlett in praise a hundred lie."

Ellen laughed.

"Spare them Ricardo!" Helen sighed.

"I can't! I love doing their rant!"

"Continue," Ellen encouraged.

"I think I should wake the others. They were looking forward to meet you. Especially papa and Uncle Jamie," Helen said and went upstairs.

As he saw her go upstairs, Ricardo thought about Helen's dream. He knew it was something bad. Something…unnerving.

He was worried. What if the dream really indicated at something? Something horrible? He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, thinking about the dream, and waiting for the others to wake up.


	3. Chapter 3

**A New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Power of Five or any of its characters. I only own their children.**

**Thank you The Light of Fire and Lolwut for your reviews on the previous chapter and Fangirl of Heavenly Fire for your review on the first chapter.**

* * *

When Scott and Myra saw Ricardo outside their door even as they opened it they could not believe their eyes.

But Even as the dark haired, dark eyed woman tried to get over her surprise, her husband broke into a smile and without a word embraced the boy standing in front of him. Nobody knew this but Scott was extremely fond of Ricardo. He loved all the five children equally, in spite of only one of them being his daughter, but Ricardo was the one for whom Scott felt a great fondness. He doted him.

Myra recovered from her shock and smiled warmly at Ricardo. She had met him only once, and that first meeting had led her to take a liking to him.

"Hello Ricardo. How are you?" she asked as Scott released the boy from his embrace.

"Fine I am, thank you. For coming uninvited will you sue?"

"What?" Myra asked, perplexed.

"He is asking whether we would sue him for coming here," Scott replied, "I tell you Ricardo, if you say that once more then I will beat into a pulp."

Ricardo grinned nervously at this.

"You are my son," Scott said softly, "You can walk in and out of the house as per your wish."

"He's right," Myra said and stroked his cheek affectionately. At that moment Jamie and Esther came there too.

"Ricky!" Jamie exclaimed and gave him a high-five.

"Wow Ricardo!" Esther said, "You have grown so much! You are as tall as Ellen and Helen!"

By looking at Esther, one could surely say that she was Ellen's mother. Not because of her looks, but because of the childish enthusiasm she always had, and perhaps because she was supposedly as slow as her daughter.

"Yeah. Actually they are as tall as the cousins," Jamie observed.

Ellen and Helen both were five foot eleven. This was because of all the exercise that they did. Helen actually had muscles though, as much as it is possible for a girl to have without any drugs, something like a badminton player or something. Not bulky, but tight and strong while still being slim. This was because of the hours she spent in the gym, lifting weights and running on the treadmill. Ellen was fit due to dancing. And Ricardo, Ricardo was fit because of running from dogs and the various objects that his father threw at him.

Thirty minutes later Ricky was enjoying himself thoroughly. Everybody was at his service. Literally. Esther was even massaging his legs while Scott and Myra prepared tea and breakfast for him. Jamie went to bake a cake; he was good at it. The art of baking had come naturally to him, when, twenty three years ago an infuriated Matt had thrown a triple decker cake on his head. Some of it had obviously gone into his mouth and he fell in love with that particular flavour. He was determined to bake it. And in the very first try he was marvellously successful. It tasted amazing. Matt had been particularly happy to eat it, but the happiness did not last long because while he was eating, he saw a black spot on the cake. He carefully took it out and saw that it was an ant. Obviously, he freaked out, and again, threw the cake on Jamie's head.

Nevertheless, the cake had tasted extremely good. Jamie just took care that there were no ants in the oven before he set the cake to bake, and the resultant product was good enough to win the heart of even the grumpiest of people.

When Helen returned she saw the princely treatment that Ricardo was getting. Ellen followed her in and beamed at the scene in front of her.

_"Why is she massaging his legs?" _Helen thought.

_"He must be tired. It is you who says that we are a big family. We should help each other."_

_"Like this?"_

_"Well, he must be tired after the trip."_

_"I have an idea, Ellen. Why don't you go and massage his shoulders and head?"_

_"Nice idea! I am sure he would relax after that!"_

With that Ellen ran over to Ricardo and got to work.

Helen slapped her forehead. Usually, Ellen's innocence was cute, but sometimes it got on her nerves. She shook her head and remembered why she had come. To talk to papa.

"Papa, I want to speak to you," she said.

Scott looked at her in an annoying way.

"Really, can't it wait?"

"No," Helen replied. Scott rolled his eyes and walked up to his daughter. He still was not used to the fact that she was an inch taller than him and he always felt jealous. Well, not exactly jealous but…he could do with an extra inch too.

Helen started speaking. She told him about her dream, not missing out even the minutest details. She saw Ricardo come and stand behind her father. After hearing her completely, Scott was silent for a few moments, his eyes boring into hers, terror and worry written on his face.

"We need to summon the Five," he said at last, "And the children too. We need to meet today itself, if possible. Helen, call them up and tell them to be here today."

He turned around and saw Ricardo looking at him anxiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "With a blocked nose do sound better my song."

"Yeah. What's the problem? Is it really bad?" Helen asked.

"It's very bad," Scott replied then paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Look, be friends, whatever be the case. Do not give up on each other. Try to be understanding and keep your anger in check. Be alert of who is around you. I remind you, be friends and avoid conflicts with each other. And above all, trust each other. You need it."

With that he went back to help his wife with cooking. Helen and Ricardo exchanged a look. This was surely not good.

* * *

Matt was worried.

When Helen called him up and told him everything, the unelected leader of the Five could not help thinking that this should not happen. The Old Ones were gone, he had made sure of it. The Gate of Oblivion was standing, or so he thought. Was it really standing? He thought he must know when or how the gate would open so he could not really imagine that happening. So what was it? Was it a simple nightmare? He doubted it.

It was not the only reason for his concern though. He was worried. Afraid. Not because of the dream, no. But because of Richard.

His son was getting estranged from him. Not from Scarlett or Aidan, but from him, and he knew it. Richard avoided speaking to him as much as he could. Their conversations were very formal. He hardly ever greeted his dad with a good morning or anything of the sort. Sometimes, Richard would not appear in front of him for days. And above everything, his elder son avoided eye contact with him. He always would have an excuse for all this.

And above everything what worried and deeply saddened Matthew Freeman was the striking resemblance that his son bore to his dead friend; the friend for whose death he still cried and had nightmares, despite the fact that it had happened twenty five years ago. The only difference between Richard Freeman and Richard Cole regarding their appearance was their hair colour.

As Matt walked into the study, not thinking about anything in particular, he spotted Richard bent over a book. Matt's eyes widened. The book was on journalism.

"Richard?" Matt asked softly.

"Yeah dad?" Richard asked, turning his face to look at Matt, or rather at his feet, which he now-a-days found very interesting.

"Helen had called up. We have to leave for Scott's house today itself. So, pack your things and get ready. Tell your mom and Aidan as well. I have to attend to something before we leave."

With that Matt turned to leave and went to the door. He stopped there and looked back at his son. His face…before he knew it Matt was trying to stop his tears from flowing. Richard looked so much like his former guardian. He left the room.

But he knew something was wrong. And it had something to do with Richard's trip to South America. Because ever since he returned from there, he had been like this. Quiet and reserved, and had had a sudden interest in journalism.

* * *

Ricardo stood on the wooden platform atop a stone pillar and faced the sun, his eyes shut, with his mouth wide open, sucking in then yawning, and then sucking in again. Ellen and Helen walked past and saw him doing this.

"Whoa!" Ellen exclaimed, "What are you doing Ricky?"

"I am meditating and getting some Vitamin D as well. Not to Aunty Scar's face, her orange juice Uncle Matt did call hell."

"Why?" Ellen asked.

"Actually," Helen said before Ricardo could utter a word, "The orange juice was pretty nice. But Uncle Matt in it saw a grain of rice. But he thought it was a lice. So like an intelligent man he did throw away the juice in the sid. Told the world he that the juice was hell because he imagined the blood sucking lice was against hygiene's sweet smell."

Helen stopped and turned to him. "Sid?" she asked. "He means side," Ellen replied.

Ricardo, for a moment turned to her.

"How do you know? A pigeon dropped its stuff on dad's head; who thought that it would stoop so low?"

"He really-?" Helen exclaimed. Ellen burst out laughing. Uncle Pedro with pigeon's droppings on his head was certainly something that she wanted to see, or maybe not, seeing that it would certainly be bad for her nose if he came near.

"Yeah it did happen," Ricardo said, "And dad's moods were dampen."

"Great," Helen said, "By the way, I read your mind."

"Okay then. Now don't disturb me for five minutes or I will scribble on your face with a pen."

With that Ricardo closed his eyes, opened his mouth and faced the sun.

Unknown to him, a crow was flying in circles vertically above him in the sky. Helen knew what was going to happen; she shouted out in warning, "RICARDO COME DOWN!"

Ricardo raised a hand, signalling her to wait, and widened his mouth even more. The crow flew right above him and dropped its undigested food.

Ellen saw it in slow motion. The white coloured made its way down slowly, toying with the air, towards the target below who had his mouth wide open to get Vitamin D.

"RICARDO MOVE!" Ellen cried. Helen put a hand on her shoulder from yelling again, and moved eyes to the falling comet, which was twirling in the air.

Ricardo was not aware of the danger he was in. Not until something strange, smelly and wet hit his nose. The first thing that he did was to close his mouth, the second was to touch his nose. He opened his eyes and looked at the substance in his hand. The colour from his face drained. Helen exploded into laughter.

"NOO!" Ricardo cried as his wide eyes inspected the substance, not wanting to believe what they were seeing. "NOOOO!" he cried as he realised what he was seeing was real.

"I told you to move away," Helen said, containing her chuckles, "Alas! Who knew this would happen? Who knew the crow would stoop so low?"

"THIS CAN"T HAPPEN!" Ricardo wailed as he wiped the thing off his face with his sleeve.

"You are disgusting," Helen said matter-of-factly and started walking towards the house. She stopped and looked at him with a smirk.

"And do not enter the house until you get that stuff out from your face and your shirt."

"No Helen! Please!" Ricardo pleaded as he jumped down. Helen shook her head and closed the door behind her.

Ellen gave him a sympathetic look and said, "There's a well behind the house. You can clean up there…" her voice faltered. She looked away and went inside too.

Ricardo looked at the sky and the birds flying majestically above him.

"Why couldn't you do that to that brat Helen? Or that girl Ellen? Why me? WHY ME?!"

The birds did not reply. Actually they did, in the form of more droppings on both his shoulders.

Ricardo angrily looked at the sky and shook his head. He stormed for the well but stopped to look at the villain birds. The birds stopped in the sky and looked down at him.

"DAMN YOU!" Ricardo yelled and went away. The crow started cawing, laughing heartily into the day.


	4. Chapter 4

**A New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power of Five or any of its characters, except the children**

**Thank you The Light of Fire, Ruby of Life, lolk and readingaddict24 for your reviews on the previous chapter.**

* * *

Richard knew that he was causing Matt pain.

He had known it all the time. Fathers usually feel sad and unwanted it if their sons avoid meeting their eyes. But how could Richard meet Matt's eyes? He could hardly bear to stay with him under the same roof. And after what he had done…

Richard hated himself. He had no other choice. How could he handle the pain? But he could not let his father know that he had done it. And neither could he let his mother know. He tried to avoid his mother as well. Before his trip to South America, Richard was determined to pursue a career in commerce. But the trip changed his thoughts, it changed him. He wanted to be a journalist now, and a good one. He wanted to write good stories, and he was itching to write down the stories of the Five.

Of course, Holly was already doing that. He had met his Aunty Holly once, four years ago. And he thought her to be very beautiful and nice. He used to play badminton with her. Maybe that's why he was so tall. He had never thought he would cross six feet. And because of his height, his father had to raise his head to look up at his face. His father… All his thoughts always led him to think of Matt eventually. Why could he not be like Aidan? The boy with his cute childlike Asian looks and still a high pitched voice had changed a lot too. More serious from the outside, much more sarcastic, and yet more funny and loving from the inside. Richard admired Aidan; he always thought that his sibling was better than him. He was a good human being, a carefree and loving boy. And he was not guilty. He did not have a burden on his heart. Richard was glad of it. It would be very painful for him to see his twelve year old brother under any burden, especially the one he himself was carrying.

As Matt drove their car towards Uncle Scott's house, Richard looked at his brother, who was sitting next to him, reading a Science magazine. Richard smiled at him. It always delighted him to see Aidan. He put his arm around his brother's shoulders. Aidan looked up at him, and the two grinned at each other. Aidan rested his head on his brother's arm and resumed reading the book.

Nobody who saw them thought that they were brothers. This annoyed Richard to no end. But he knew that even he would have found it hard to believe. Aidan had sharp Asian features, he was cute and handsome. Richard, on the other hand, looked completely English.

"So, what do you think?" Aidan asked softly, "Helen's dream. What's so bad about it that we are being summoned at one days' notice?"

Richard had been thinking about that the whole time, when he was not thinking about Matt. Something was wrong, and it had something to do with the Five, and the children. Richard thought about the possibilities. The Five had told them their story. Was the Gate of Oblivion or Raven's Gate about to open? He hoped not. Last time it had taken ten thousand years for the Old Ones to return. Surely, they would not cut down the time to twenty five years? If they did, Richard would admit that Old Ones really did not know about punctuality.

He voiced his thoughts to Aidan. "Well," the young boy muttered, "You can't really plan world domination if you are not punctual, you know. Ten thousand years should be fixed at ten thousand years. You just can't reduce the time like that."

"Do you think they are having cost cutting due to some recession?" Richard asked.

Aidan thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I think they are having cost cutting. I mean time cutting. Or maybe both. They might be coming here to buy land at low cost," he said.

"Or maybe food?"

"I think at least a helicopter."

"Or a certain someone's book of poetry?"

"No," Aidan firmly replied at once, "They would not lower their standard to that extent."

Richard laughed. "But imagine if they did?"

"Then I will not bother about them. Maybe arrange an asylum, I don't know. Or maybe I will gift wrap the 'poet' and send him to them as a gift."

"With a message written by the 'poet'," Richard added.

"With a message written by the 'poet'," Aidan agreed, "Something like this:

_"Chaos, my dear_

_"Yesterday, I tried a beer_

_"The last drop also I licked_

_"And the can I kicked_

_"That's when I remembered your face_

_"Around your forehead was tied a lace_

_"So I decided to meet you right away_

_"In this box, I lie with a bed of hay_

_"It's not pure, for it is mixed with clay_

_"And I hope you have a good day!"_

Richard laughed aloud at that and Matt and Scarlett joined in.

"Be sure to recite that to Ricardo!" Scarlett said.

"Wow Aidan!" Matt said, "You are following Ricardoism!"

They laughed again.

"Exactly dad! I did not even feel it was not Ricardo!" Richard said.

"I am sure you didn't, Richie. I wish Ricardo were here. I would love to see his reaction!" Matt said.

"Yeah and-" Richard said and then broke off. His smile disappeared. What was he thinking? How could he speak to Matt that freely? How could he forget what he had done? Richard was angry with himself. No, he had to control himself.

"And?" Matt asked.

Richard did not want to disappoint Matt, especially since his father hardly ever laughed. Because of him.

"And what suggestions he would give Aidan," he said flatly, his earlier enthusiasm gone. His eyes met Matt's in the rear-view window, for the first time in three months.

Matt immediately stopped the car with a jerk. Richard remained seated where he was but Scarlett and Aidan were pushed forward, stopped only by the seat belts. Matt turned around to look at Richard, who averted his eyes again, asking Aidan if he was alright to use as an excuse to look anywhere but at his father.

"Richard, I want to talk to you," Matt said.

"We can talk while driving dad. You said that getting at Uncle Jamie's house is urgent."

"It's not that urgent. Come out, now!"

Richard knew it was impossible to avoid his father now. He quietly stepped out of the car. "What's happening, Matt?" Scarlett asked. "Stay in," Matt said. He had said so softly, but Scarlett knew that it was a command. She saw that Matt only looked at their son, and Richard, Richard was looking anywhere but at Matt. The man grabbed the boy's arm and pulled away roughly away from the car.

"Who are you?" Matt asked softly when they were away from the car.

"What are you saying, dad?" Richard said.

"I asked who you are."

"I am Richard Freeman," Richard replied.

"No, you are not. You are someone else. And I know that I have met you before. Who are you?"

"You met me nineteen years ago," Richard said, "On my birthday."

Matt stepped towards him and tilted his chin so that he was facing him.

"Look at me, Richard," he said. Richard stared at Matt's chin. "LOOK AT MY EYES!" Matt bellowed. Richard raised his eyes slowly and looked at his father's. It felt as if someone had stabbed him.

"What is wrong, Richard?" Matt said, his hand still holding his son's chin.

"I will tell you when the time comes, dad," Richard said, "Please don't force me to. If you love me."

Matt gazed at his son's face for a while, then withdrew his hand.

"You are not doing anything wrong, right?" he asked softly. Richard shook his head. Matt nodded slightly. He was about to go back when he said, "You know, you look like him. You look like Richard."

Richard knew that he was not talking about him, he was talking about Richard Cole. His face was expressionless at this statement. Matt looked at him for a while then started for the car. When his back was turned towards Richard, the boy could not help letting a single tear flow down his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and then followed his father to the car.

And nobody spoke a word the whole way.

* * *

She was dying to see them. Her eyes been scanning the gate for an hour now.

Ellen had not met them since a long time. At least her Uncle Matt and Aunty Scar kept in touch. Aidan would speak to her on at least three nights in a week. When he would talk, Ellen would listen. Among all her friends and Helen, Aidan was her favourite. She loved them all equally but she loved him a lot, because he was young and she liked his company. Aidan did not know this, but Ellen knew the love that she felt for her brother. Aidan was small for his size, his face looked as if he was eight, though he was twelve. Ellen remembered how Helen used to carry the boy in her arms five years ago. Would that be possible now? Would Aidan allow himself to be treated like a child? Or would he be the typical 'Stop this! I am not a kid anymore!' Ellen snorted. Not a kid anymore. As if these young people were already depending on walking sticks for dear life.

Ellen thought about Richard. As she thought about the boy, she realised that she knew very little about him. What did she know about Richard? They usually interacted the least among the Five. Ellen respected Richard, yes, and she trusted him. She thought of him as a friend and she did love him as much as she loved the others. But Richard's odd behaviour over the past three months puzzled her. What was he up to? He had made no contact with them. No message, no call, no texting, no Facebook posts, no activity on The New Power of Five. It seemed as if he had just disappeared from the surface of the earth. He never answered their calls. He replied to messages if he thought they were important. But these messages were very formal and to the point. Ellen was really puzzled by this. Why was Richard getting alienated from them? If it had not been for Aidan, Ellen would not even know whether Richard was alive or not. The thought made her sad as well as furious. He ignored her, so she would also ignore him. What did he think, they would die without his company? _He_ would die without _their _company!

Ellen gasped. Had she just wished Richard to _die_? She raised her hand and slapped herself. She did not wish for anyone to die! And Richard…how could she even think like that?

"I am sorry," she whispered as if Richard could hear her.

_"I had thought the same thing."_

Ellen turned around to see Helen leaning against the doorway.

_"What? When?"_

_"I don't know, Ellen. But, after I ended my conversation with Uncle Matt, I had this urge to stab Richard when I meet him. And I don't mean it as a joke. I _really_ wanted to… I just can't believe that I had wanted to do something like that to Richard, of all people."_

_"Why is this happening?"_

_"I don't know. It's that strange thing in my dream. I am sure of it. I think Old Ones are coming. And I think they have changed their strategies."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Divide and Rule."_

Though it would take Ellen a long time to understand the simplest of things, she understood what Helen meant immediately. Her eyes widened as she looked at her cousin.

_"We will have to keep our anger in check."_

_"_You_ have to keep your anger in check, Helen."_

_"You are right. Because, I feel a hatred for Richard. I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to see him. I don't even know what he looks like anymore. I last saw him two years ago when we were online, having a video chat."_

_"Aunty Scar says he has changed. A lot."_

_"I hope he changed for the better."_

"What the hell are you girls thinking?"

The cousins jumped at the soft yet demanding voice. Jamie was standing right behind Helen, his arms across his chest, looking in disbelief from one of them to the other.

_"Damn it! How could I forget that Uncle Jamie and papa can read minds?"_

"Shame that you forgot, Helen," Jamie said and walked up to her.

"You are right," he said as he grabbed her shoulders, "The enemy wants you to fight. You cannot let them win by giving in to their wishes so easily."

"Uncle, who was the one in my dream?" Helen asked.

"We don't know. You believe the Old Ones are returning, and we believe so too. But we are not certain. Anyway, taking out your anger on poor Richard won't do any of you any good."

"You are right," Ellen said. Helen nodded with a smile and the cousins hugged Jamie, who put his arms around them lovingly.

The doorbell rang. The three broke the hug and went outside. Ellen wanted to see them, especially Aidan. When they got to the hall, Scott had already opened the door, and the Freeman family was already inside. But Scott had stopped in his tracks. His eyes were on Richard. When Jamie entered, he stopped too. The twins exchanged a glance.

_"He always resembled Matt! But now, just in two years…"_

_"I don't know what is happening Jamie. He looks so much like him! Dye his hair blond and it would be impossible to tell the difference."_

_"But why? And why does Matt seem to be putting distance between himself and Richard?"_

_"Richard is trying the same thing."_

Their thoughts were broken when Richard said, "Uncle Scott. Uncle Jamie. How are you?"

Scott looked uncertain, but only for a second. He face broke into a big smile and hugged Richard, and was followed by Jamie.

Scott ruffled Aidan's hair while Jamie led them in. it was a happy reunion. Helen and Ellen, still feeling guilty and hating themselves for thinking that way for even a second, rested their heads on Richard's chest. He put his arms around them but none of the three said a word. When they broke free, Helen and Ellen got engaged in a lively conversation with Aidan.

"Lift me up," the boy said, looking at Helen.

"Why?" Helen asked teasingly, "Aren't you an 'old and responsible boy'?"

"I am old and responsible. But I am not an old man. Besides, I lack in vertical length."

Helen laughed and lifted Aidan up like a child, just like she used to, five years ago. She had personally wanted to do that for a long time. Aidan put his arms around her and turned to look around.

"Where is our poet?" he asked.

"He's with Aunty Scar and Uncle Matt. Look," Ellen said.

The children did look to where the others were. Ricardo was sitting next to Scarlett, talking to her adoringly. He loved his Aunty Scarlett a lot, Aidan knew, but enough to ignore his friends? He got down and walked towards Ricardo.

"Hey Ricky!" he said.

"Hello Aidan, my friend. I just came in, so to you my well wishes I could not send."

"It's all right. So how are you?"

"I am doing fine. Do you keep your health in line?" Ricardo asked as he hugged Aidan.

"Yeah, I am completely fine. Hypotenuse divided by base is known as sine."

Ricardo laughed and ruffled his hair when Richard walked up to them.

"Hello Ricardo," Richard said and smiled at him. Ricardo's face was expressionless but Helen noticed that he had clenched his fists. His eyes were hard. It seemed as if he forced himself to smile.

"Hello Richard, how have you been? Never a message from you have I seen."

"I am sorry. It's just that I have decided to pursue journalism instead of taking up commerce. Change of fields can be hard, so I have been pretty focused only on that. Sorry."

Jamie looked up at Richard in alarm, then met his twin's eyes. The two turned to Scarlett and Matt, who shook their heads in unison.

"It's ok," Helen said, "Though at times we did want to kill you."

Richard laughed. Little did he know that she was telling the truth.

After tea, Ricardo met Richard when everyone had left.

"Richard, can you come to my room with me? There is something I want you to see."

"Sure," Richard said and then followed him up. They did not know that Scarlett had heard them. She thought that maybe they would just do some catching up about the events of the past three years, the time for which they had not met. She smiled to herself then went away.

"So, Richard, how have things been? To meet you I was very keen."

Richard suspected something wrong. Ricardo's tone was… sinister?

The Peruvian boy locked the door. The windows were already locked up. He turned to Richard and smiled. Smiled in a way that did not suit Ricardo at all.

Before he knew it, Richard was lying on the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose. He already felt dizzy.

Ricardo was much stronger than he looked. His foot slammed against Richard's side, and the older boy cried out in pain. Ricardo gagged him up then stood up again. The boy looked at his victim through lidded eyes, a dazed smile on his face. His eyes were cold, inhuman. He again kicked Richard. The latter retaliated with a punch that sent Ricardo crashing against the cupboard. He stood still for a second as Richard took off his gag. Then, he reached out for a vase and hit Richard's head with it. Richard lost his balance and Ricardo reached out for his belt.

The English boy cried out as the leather cut his skin. Ricardo's assault was swift, and he was enjoying it. He was enjoying the trickle of blood, his friend's chilling painful screams. Richard grabbed the belt and yanked it out of his hand.

"What is wrong with you, Ricardo?" he demanded, his mouth full of blood, his heart unable to believe all this.

"You defied Chaos," Ricardo said simply, his hand moving down to his waist. He produced a thin knife from it.

"You will be sorry, Richard," Ricardo said, a sly smirk on his face. Richard knew he had to act fast. What was happening?

"No Ricardo, please" Richard said. Ricardo shook his head. Richard felt weak, very weak. He fell to his knees and looked at Ricardo with pleading eyes. His predator appeared blurry to him. He pleaded anyway.

"Please Ricardo. Please! Don't! I beg of you! What have I done to you, Ricardo?! Why are you working for Chaos?!"

"I am working with my own free will," Ricardo said.

Richard was incapable of getting up. Ricardo raised his knife and was about to throw it. Richard closed his eyes. But when the stab did not come, the boy warily opened his eyes.

Ricardo was holding his arm that had the knife. Pain was written on his face. And Richard knew he was struggling. Struggling to keep himself from stabbing him. He wrenched the knife from his own hand and threw it at the desk. Ricardo's eyes were wide, bleak. He fell to his knees, crying.

"I- I am sorry," he whispered.

"It's alright," Richard replied weakly and lied down. Ricardo crawled up to him and started healing him.

"What had happened?" Richard asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know. I don't know. I just know that I was angry. Angry with you. I don't know why. And then, I felt as if an electric shock went through me. I had to kill you. I _wanted_ to kill you! I almost killed you! I was about to throw the knife, and I was enjoying it; enjoying seeing you in that state… Please forgive me, Richard. I- I love you! I don't hate you! Believe me! Please!"

Richard wiped Ricardo's cheeks with his hand and withdrew it. "I know it wasn't you. It was something else."

In five minutes, Richard was standing in front of Ricardo. The younger was feeling grateful to Richard for forgiving him, and ashamed of himself. How could he even do that?

"It's ok," Richard said. The two turned to the door but were frozen.

Scarlett looked at them questioningly. The key to the room was in her hand. Her eyes fell on the knife.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," she said.

Ricardo lowered his eyes. Richard nodded and the two boys followed her to others. Richard knew Ricardo was in trouble. He was already dreading the questions they would be asked.

**That was long! Please read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A New Voyage**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power of Five or any of its characters.**

**Thank you readersally and lolk for your reviews on the previous chapter.**

* * *

"What were you both doing?"

Ricardo and Richard were surrounded by the adults and the children. Ricardo averted his eyes from everyone and Richard tried to think of something to say to save them both from the situation.

"I asked, what you two were doing?!" Scarlett asked angrily, raising her voice.

"Aunty Scar, I did not want to-" Ricardo said, his eyes closed but he was interrupted.

"He did not want to wrestle with me," Richard said.

All the eyes in the room turned to look at him. "Wrestle?" Matt asked suspiciously.

"Yes dad, wrestle. We're…boys. We like wrestling," Richard replied with a magnificent confidence.

"Even Helen likes wrestling," Ellen said.

"Quiet, Ellen!" Helen hissed at her.

"See? Even Helen likes wrestling," Richard said, "But as you know, even though Ricky likes doing all this a lot, he is gentle, and sweet. He did not want to get into a fight on the very first day. We did it anyway, that's the best way to have fun with friends. We got a little injured though, so we stopped, and Ricky healed both of us. Simple!"

Richard saw Uncle Scott's eyes boring into his. He knew Uncle Scott had read his mind. Richard knew that he had found out what had really happened.

"Is that true, Ricardo?" Jamie asked.

Ricardo did not speak for a couple of seconds. Should he lie? He looked at Richard who blinked at him. He knew he should carry on.

"Yeah, that's right! We did get into a fight! The victor was Richard, because he had might! Our fight was a wonderful sight!" he said cheerfully.

"And the knife?" Scarlett asked.

Richard chuckled. "Mom," he said, "Before we arrived here, Ricky was practicing to throw a knife at the target. And of course, we all know how good his aim is. So instead of the target, the knife hit the desk. That's all."

Ricardo blushed. "My aim isn't that bad. But it was sad."

"Oh, that's what had happened!" Scarlett said, "Silly me!"

"Yeah, we thought that you were really fighting," Jamie said.

"Sorry! But still, wrestling each other the moment you meet… don't you think it's too wild?" Myra said.

The matter had settled at last. They had bought that story. Richard felt as if a huge burden had been taken off his shoulders while Ricardo felt just the opposite. He felt as if he had a burden on his heart. And guilt. He had never felt so guilty before. It would have been so much better if he had never come here…

The adults and the other children left the room. Richard lowered his gaze when his father walked by. Matt stopped to look at him. Richard felt that he wanted to say something. Matt clenched his fists then released them and sighed sadly. He walked out without a word.

Now only Richard, Ricardo and Scott were left in the room.

"Now Richard, what had really happened?"

"What I just said, Uncle," Richard replied.

Scott shook his head, his eyes steadily looking into Richard's.

"I'll tell you, Uncle Scott," Ricardo said, "The cup of coffee in the morning was very hot."

"What has the coffee to do with what you will say?" Richard asked.

"It is for rhyming. I have done a crime after witnessing which the nightingale would never sing."

"What did you do, Ricardo?" Scott asked softly.

"Uncle, it was not his fault," Richard said, "They did it, I'm sure of it. They did it."

"Let him speak, Richard," Scott said and turned back to Ricardo.

So, Ricardo spoke. He spoke of how he had tried to kill Richard, how he had gained control of himself at the very last moment and hurled the knife away, how he was sure that something was making him do that, and how very sorry he was for attacking his best friend.

"Of course you didn't do it, Ricky," Scott said, "I'm sure you haven't."

Ricardo was surprised by this. And he was grateful, grateful to Uncle Scott for understanding.

"Uncle, who was it?" Richard asked, "And why did you call all of us here so urgently?"

"I don't who it was, Richard, but I think it were the Old Ones. It seems unlikely that they will return so soon but… where is Pedro? Why hasn't he come yet?" Scott said.

"I called him up at least twenty times. Then I sent him a picture of limes.

"With that was attached a message. To come here quickly, as it was ussage."

"You mean usage, right?" Scott asked.

Ricardo shook his head sadly. He still felt guilty about what he had done. Tears threatened to fall. But he felt slightly better, now that he had told his Uncle Scott.

"You don't mean usage?" Richard asked in surprise, "What do you mean then?"

Ricardo looked around. Ellen was not there to tell them the meaning. He sighed.

"I meant urgent. I once dreamt of becoming a sergeant," he replied.

"Seriously? Ussage for _urgent_?" Scott remarked.

Ricardo nodded sadly.

Scott shook his head and then resumed, "But why isn't he answering our calls? He could at least text us!"

"He might be busy in something," Richard said.

"Maybe."

Scott looked at Ricardo again. The boy still had his gaze lowered.

"You didn't do it," Scott said and hugged the boy. Ricardo smiled sadly at him and then returned the hug. Richard grinned at them and joined in.

"Get off, both of you! You're choking me!" Scott said. The two boys released him and grinned.

"Now, go and wrestle. Practice target. Do something. I'll try to contact Pedro," Scott said and walked out.

Ricardo smiled at Richard, who pulled him in a bear hug.

"Thanks Richard," he said, "Thank you for helping me when I…"

"It's okay," Richard said.

After some time, when Ricardo had calmed down considerably, Richard said, "Could your knife actually find its target? I mean, don't be offended, you at taking aims."

"I don't know. But once, when in the garden I went to sow.

"There I found three piles of cow dung. Made small balls of it and I clung.

"Hurled them at dad I did. He punished me and from entering the house he did forbid."

"Ricardo!" Richard exclaimed in disgust, "Seriously? And they hit Uncle Pedro?"

Ricardo started nodding so violently that Richard grabbed his shoulders to steady him and said, "CONTROL!"

It took him a few seconds to stop.

"That felt good. With jeans, I love wearing a hood!"

"Come, let's join the others," Richard said and the two boys walked out of the room.

* * *

"Has anyone seen my cap?" Aidan asked.

He had been searching the whole house, the gardens, even the bathrooms for his cap. The cap was red and white in colour with a yellow star painted on it. Aidan had that cap since he was eight, and he loved wearing it every now and then.

He had not checked only two rooms. One was where the adults were discussing something, and the door was locked. The other was Helen and Ellen's room, where the children were talking. He went into the room and asked them, "Has anyone seen my cap?"

They were busy laughing and talking to pay him much heed. He frowned angrily and yelled, "HAS ANYONE SEEN MY CAP?!"

The four teenagers turned to look at him in surprise.

"Whoa Aidan!" Helen said, "What's wrong?"

"Has-anyone-seen-my-cap?" Aidan repeated slowly.

The others laughed.

"What's so funny?" Aidan asked.

Helen walked up to him and placed her hand on his head. She withdrew it and showed him what she had retrieved.

"Hehehe!" Aidan laughed nervously and took back his cap.

"You know, sometimes you should look at your head to find things," Helen said and took back the cap.

"Hey! That's mine!" Aidan protested as she put it on.

Helen clicked her tongue and the other three joined in.

"Aidan, do I have to explain again?" she asked in exasperation. Aidan scowled.

"We are a family. There is no my cap or your cap in a family. There's just a cap! Anyone can use it! That's why we are a family, right?" she said.

"Absolutely right," the other three said. Ricardo added, "I am following strict diet."

"What have you given them as a bribe to side up with you?" Aidan demanded.

"Come on, come on," the other three said. Ricardo added, "Tell hon."

"Hon? As in honey?" Helen asked. Ricardo shook his head.

"Hon means him," Ellen said.

"Hon means him?" Aidan said angrily, "_Hon_ means _him?_!"

Ellen nodded solemnly.

Aidan took off his socks and threw them at him. Ricardo moved his head quickly to evade it.

"Eeehhh!"

The socks hit Ellen on the face. She grabbed them, her eyes full of tears and threw them out of the window.

"It's okay. It's okay," Helen said soothingly, going to her cousin's side.

"My socks! My new socks!" Aidan cried and ran over to the window. He cried out when he saw his new socks lying in a puddle of muddy water in the garden.

He ran over to Ricardo, smacked him on the head and ran out, yelling an apology to Ellen.

"Take your cap!" Helen called out. He returned and snatched his cap from her hand, then ran out again.

"Why did you move your head away?" Helen yelled at Ricardo.

"I was protecting myself," he said, "If Ellen wore the socks, she would look like elf."

"AAHH!" Ellen wailed even louder than before.

Helen kicked Ricardo from his chair and told Ellen to wash her face. Ellen nodded and then went away.

"What was the need?" Ricardo grumbled, "Dad once paid ninety dollars for a seed."

"Ninety dollars for a seed!" Richard exclaimed, "Which seed was it?"

"Plastic seed it was. I like my friend Ross," Ricardo replied.

"Ross is everyone's friend and we all like him," Helen replied.

Ricardo shrugged at this and continued, "I ate that seed when I was hangry. Dad got really, really angry."

"Hangry?" Helen asked.

"Hungry," Richard explained.

"He hit me with a mop. Of Aunty Scar's fear Uncle Matt ran to the top."

"When?" Richard asked.

"Last week. I use the furniture of teak."

"You use furniture of teak," Helen said, "In your brain there is a leak."

Ricardo scowled at her and sat down on his chair.

Aidan walked in right then, cursing Ricardo under his breath. He pushed the older boy from his chair till he was on the floor again, and sat down next to him.

"Sorry. Sorry," Aidan said. Ricardo glared at him and was about to sit down, when Aidan pulled back his chair. Ricardo landed on the floor. Again.

The other three burst out laughing at his plight. Helen found it so amusing that she toppled off her own chair and joined Ricardo on the floor.

"I don't want to talk to you!" Ricardo cried angrily, "Upon seeing Aunty Scar, Uncle Matt's face changes hue!"

With that he stormed out of the room, muttering about insolent children in his poetic style.

He was still grumbling when he came to the door where his Uncles and Aunties were. He came to a stop when he heard Richard's name.

Uncle Matt was talking. His voice sounded serious and scared. Ricardo could sense a pain in his voice that he had never felt before; it nearly tore out his heart. He leaned against the door, trying to listen what they were talking about.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, Jamie," Matt said, "But he's been acting strangely ever since he returned from South America. His sudden interest in journalism, his reluctance to talk about the trip-"

"And his estranged behaviour with us," Scarlett said, "It's really bothering us. I don't know what happened there but…"

"Did he, by any chance, go to Vilcabamba?" Scott asked suddenly. "I don't think he did," Scarlett replied.

"Have you said anything to him, Matt?" Esther asked, "Anything that could have angered him a lot?"

"I have never even chided at him in his whole life. He just hasn't given me a chance," Matt replied.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Jamie asked, "Confront him. Ask him what is wrong. If you wish, then I will look into his mind and find out the problem."

Their tones became hushed and Ricardo could not hear anything anymore. But he was worried now. What was wrong with Richard? Why this odd behaviour? Why was he distancing his parents from himself? Ricardo decided to walk ahead, before anyone spotted him. He walked out, into the garden, and sat down on a bench. He was worried about Richard. And he was worried about himself. He still could not understand why he had attacked Richard. But he knew he had to find out. He was sure that neither Uncle Jamie nor Uncle Scott would actually look into Richard's complicated mind. No, Ricardo would ask his friends. He would ask Helen to penetrate Richard's mind, look into his thoughts, and find the cause of his troubles.

And he knew Helen would be more than happy to help.


End file.
